If a picture is worth a thousand words, what is this one worth?This is essentially how our year ended:

Party Bear. I can't wait to show his prom date this one day.

What can I say? The kid dressed himself. Shark jammies, celadon satin cape, gold party hat, festive necklaces. He later added some matching satin gloves to the ensemble and ran through the house with his mini glowing light saber shouting, "I am the wizard! I must save the princess!" I'm not sure what happened to the stuffed harbor seal (seen here in his left hand) but he blew that party horn (seen in his right hand) for a solid fifteen minutes before we finally took it away. Happy New Year, y'all. With that level of debauchery and exuberance, there's a reason I love the quiet calm of January. The holiday excess finally ends and we can get down to business. Routine, cleanliness, organization. Good-bye Christmas trees, hello open space. See ya later sugar cookies, welcome back kale. Boot camp resumes, the child heads back to Pre-K, and the constant buzz from my champagne/Chardonnay intake has blissfully subsided. Let's hear it for January! We've been busy. We broke out the juicer on New Year's Day.

We hit the library to take our level of marine life knowledge to the next level. Someone ::cough, cough:: was so excited, he ripped through all of his books on the car ride home. Can you say, "frog fish"? (yes, there is such a thing).

And finally, we've been doing what I love best - organizing. I spent the weekend working through the pantry. Dried beans, flours, assorted grains...I finally have a system for them. (don't worry, one of my resolutions this year is to not kill my family with dried beans). I know, I know, try to contain your enthusiasm. It's hard being this exciting. Watch out world - here comes Kim and her five kinds of flour! Who wants some groats??

I hope the new year finds all of you enjoying my favorite month of the year! Cheers to January!

What do you cook with all those flours and dry goods? Does everyone eat it?

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Kim

1/8/2014 04:51:42 am

There's a ton of great stuff to do with each! (this could be a whole entry - or series of blog entries). Just a sampling...

Toasted Carob powder: great for carob chia pudding

Adzuki beans and barley flour: brownies

Groats: granola

Red quinoa: a million uses, including throwing in a tofu or egg scramble in the morning (depending on your preference) or in a salad to bump the protein. Ditto for regular quinoa; it's easy to blend it in a porridge made with pears and coconut flakes.

Dried pinto beans: I'm currently soaking a bunch to make my favorite refried beans recipe (minus any lard or animal products). It freezes well and it great for a yummy bean burrito.

Whole wheat flour: I tend to sub this out a lot if the recipe calls for white flour. It's a little denser and more heavy, but it's yummy in oatmeal cookies (which Scotty will eat) and nice in vegan pancakes.

Does everyone eat it? Sort of. Brian will usually be game for a few things, as long as I don't make it too exotic (or tell him about it beforehand). And we're slowing bringing Scotty into it. His new favorite foods are raw red peppers, strawberries, and kale (though he'll only eat a bite or two. I think he's only saying that to appease me). He's definitely not into chili. We're working on it.

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About Me

Think of this as the epilogue to Bridget Jones' story. Well, mostly. Bridget marries the handsome lawyer, starts a blog while on bedrest, and decides marathon running sounds like fun. Hilarity ensues.